16 straight wins: Alcaraz powers on at Queen's Club
Carlos Alcaraz has overcome another tricky obstacle at the Queen's Club Championship as the top-seeded Spaniard dispatched France's Arthur Rinderknech with little fuss 7-5 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
Wimbledon champion Alcaraz toiled for three hours in stifling heat on Thursday to edge past fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in a titanic scrap and afterwards admitted he did not know how he was still standing.
It was far more straightforward against unseeded Rinderknech, the player he also beat in his opening match two years ago when he went on to win the title at the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up event in west London.
The 22-year-old converted each of his two break points on another sweltering Friday as he extended his sequence of match wins to a career-long 16.
"I could be better. Honestly I was thinking I was going to feel much worse than I did today," five-time grand slam champion Alcaraz said on court.
"I'm glad it was only one hour 20 minutes today."
Britain's Jack Draper also continued his Wimbledon build-up successfully as he reached the semi-finals at Queen's for the first time with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 defeat of American Brandon Nakashima.
Draper not only kept himself on track for the prestigious ATP 500 title, but also secured the win that guarantees a top-four seeding at Wimbledon where he will be the big home hope.
The 23-year-old was fully tested by world No.32 Nakashima and his powerful game began to misfire as he lost the second set on the Andy Murray Arena.
But Draper settled back into the groove in the deciding set and broke serve in the seventh game with one of his trademark forehand pile drivers.
The left-hander had to save a break point when serving for the match at 5-4 but recovered to seal victory and set up a clash with Czech Jiri Lehecka, the conqueror of Alex de Minaur who had earlier on Friday beaten Britain's Jacob Fearnley 7-5 6-2.
"It means the world to me to reach the semi-finals here," said Draper, bidding to become the first British player to win the title at the prestigious west London club since Murray won for a record fifth time in 2016.
"I think there's going to be an even bigger buzz at the weekend and that will give me more energy to keep progressing."
While being ranked fourth means Draper will avoid either defending champion Alcaraz or world No.1 Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Draper shrugged off its significance.
"I kept getting asked about that by the journalists but I've got to reach the semi-finals first," he said.
Alcaraz will face either fourth seed Holger Rune or Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Terrific Sabalenka comeback in Berlin thwarts Rybakina
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has shown nerves of steel and a champion's resolve to defeat Elena Rybakina 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 7-6 (8-6) in their Berlin Open quarter-final, saving four match points in the final-set tiebreak. Rybakina had led 6-2 in the deciding breaker on Friday and appeared on the brink of securing a place in the semis but after she was cruelly denied victory on her first match point by a net cord, the momentum swung in Sabalenka's favour. The Belarusian reeled off five straight points, eventually clinching the win as Rybakina faltered under pressure. Sabalenka's grit and power proved decisive against the 2022 Wimbledon champion. The first set was a see-saw battle, with Rybakina breaking for a 4-2 lead before Sabalenka hit straight back. Both players held serve from 4-4 to force a tiebreak, which Sabalenka edged 8-6. Rybakina responded by racing into a 2-0 lead in the second set and breaking again late to close it out 6-3. The deciding set was fiercely contested, with Sabalenka breaking for 5-4 but failing to serve out the match as Rybakina broke back and held for 6-5. Sabalenka then held under pressure to force a tiebreak, which produced the match's most dramatic twist. "Elena, she's a great player, we had a lot of tough battles in the very last stages and she's an amazing player honestly no idea how I was able to win those last points, I think I just got lucky," Sabalenka said after the match. "When I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down match points and actually not so long ago I was thinking, 'it's been a while since I've had some crazy comeback' and so here I am. "It's amazing to win matches like this, it trains your fighting spirit for the next tournaments and I'm proud of myself for trying 'til the very last point." Sabalenka will next face Czech Marketa Vondrousova, who is aiming for her first final since winning Wimbledon in 2023. Vondrousova defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-1 in a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final. Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu advanced to the semi-finals after the injury-plagued eighth seed Paula Badosa retired due to a right hip problem during their quarter-final. Wang, the world No.49, was leading 6-1 when Badosa pulled out of the contest. The Spaniard, visibly frustrated, smashed her racquet and hurled it across the court following the post-match handshakes. The 23-year-old Wang has enjoyed a breakout week in the German capital, beating second seed Coco Gauff in the previous round. She will next face either American Amanda Anisimova or Russia's Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the final. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has shown nerves of steel and a champion's resolve to defeat Elena Rybakina 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 7-6 (8-6) in their Berlin Open quarter-final, saving four match points in the final-set tiebreak. Rybakina had led 6-2 in the deciding breaker on Friday and appeared on the brink of securing a place in the semis but after she was cruelly denied victory on her first match point by a net cord, the momentum swung in Sabalenka's favour. The Belarusian reeled off five straight points, eventually clinching the win as Rybakina faltered under pressure. Sabalenka's grit and power proved decisive against the 2022 Wimbledon champion. The first set was a see-saw battle, with Rybakina breaking for a 4-2 lead before Sabalenka hit straight back. Both players held serve from 4-4 to force a tiebreak, which Sabalenka edged 8-6. Rybakina responded by racing into a 2-0 lead in the second set and breaking again late to close it out 6-3. The deciding set was fiercely contested, with Sabalenka breaking for 5-4 but failing to serve out the match as Rybakina broke back and held for 6-5. Sabalenka then held under pressure to force a tiebreak, which produced the match's most dramatic twist. "Elena, she's a great player, we had a lot of tough battles in the very last stages and she's an amazing player honestly no idea how I was able to win those last points, I think I just got lucky," Sabalenka said after the match. "When I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down match points and actually not so long ago I was thinking, 'it's been a while since I've had some crazy comeback' and so here I am. "It's amazing to win matches like this, it trains your fighting spirit for the next tournaments and I'm proud of myself for trying 'til the very last point." Sabalenka will next face Czech Marketa Vondrousova, who is aiming for her first final since winning Wimbledon in 2023. Vondrousova defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-1 in a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final. Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu advanced to the semi-finals after the injury-plagued eighth seed Paula Badosa retired due to a right hip problem during their quarter-final. Wang, the world No.49, was leading 6-1 when Badosa pulled out of the contest. The Spaniard, visibly frustrated, smashed her racquet and hurled it across the court following the post-match handshakes. The 23-year-old Wang has enjoyed a breakout week in the German capital, beating second seed Coco Gauff in the previous round. She will next face either American Amanda Anisimova or Russia's Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the final. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has shown nerves of steel and a champion's resolve to defeat Elena Rybakina 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 7-6 (8-6) in their Berlin Open quarter-final, saving four match points in the final-set tiebreak. Rybakina had led 6-2 in the deciding breaker on Friday and appeared on the brink of securing a place in the semis but after she was cruelly denied victory on her first match point by a net cord, the momentum swung in Sabalenka's favour. The Belarusian reeled off five straight points, eventually clinching the win as Rybakina faltered under pressure. Sabalenka's grit and power proved decisive against the 2022 Wimbledon champion. The first set was a see-saw battle, with Rybakina breaking for a 4-2 lead before Sabalenka hit straight back. Both players held serve from 4-4 to force a tiebreak, which Sabalenka edged 8-6. Rybakina responded by racing into a 2-0 lead in the second set and breaking again late to close it out 6-3. The deciding set was fiercely contested, with Sabalenka breaking for 5-4 but failing to serve out the match as Rybakina broke back and held for 6-5. Sabalenka then held under pressure to force a tiebreak, which produced the match's most dramatic twist. "Elena, she's a great player, we had a lot of tough battles in the very last stages and she's an amazing player honestly no idea how I was able to win those last points, I think I just got lucky," Sabalenka said after the match. "When I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down match points and actually not so long ago I was thinking, 'it's been a while since I've had some crazy comeback' and so here I am. "It's amazing to win matches like this, it trains your fighting spirit for the next tournaments and I'm proud of myself for trying 'til the very last point." Sabalenka will next face Czech Marketa Vondrousova, who is aiming for her first final since winning Wimbledon in 2023. Vondrousova defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-1 in a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final. Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu advanced to the semi-finals after the injury-plagued eighth seed Paula Badosa retired due to a right hip problem during their quarter-final. Wang, the world No.49, was leading 6-1 when Badosa pulled out of the contest. The Spaniard, visibly frustrated, smashed her racquet and hurled it across the court following the post-match handshakes. The 23-year-old Wang has enjoyed a breakout week in the German capital, beating second seed Coco Gauff in the previous round. She will next face either American Amanda Anisimova or Russia's Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the final. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has shown nerves of steel and a champion's resolve to defeat Elena Rybakina 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 7-6 (8-6) in their Berlin Open quarter-final, saving four match points in the final-set tiebreak. Rybakina had led 6-2 in the deciding breaker on Friday and appeared on the brink of securing a place in the semis but after she was cruelly denied victory on her first match point by a net cord, the momentum swung in Sabalenka's favour. The Belarusian reeled off five straight points, eventually clinching the win as Rybakina faltered under pressure. Sabalenka's grit and power proved decisive against the 2022 Wimbledon champion. The first set was a see-saw battle, with Rybakina breaking for a 4-2 lead before Sabalenka hit straight back. Both players held serve from 4-4 to force a tiebreak, which Sabalenka edged 8-6. Rybakina responded by racing into a 2-0 lead in the second set and breaking again late to close it out 6-3. The deciding set was fiercely contested, with Sabalenka breaking for 5-4 but failing to serve out the match as Rybakina broke back and held for 6-5. Sabalenka then held under pressure to force a tiebreak, which produced the match's most dramatic twist. "Elena, she's a great player, we had a lot of tough battles in the very last stages and she's an amazing player honestly no idea how I was able to win those last points, I think I just got lucky," Sabalenka said after the match. "When I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down match points and actually not so long ago I was thinking, 'it's been a while since I've had some crazy comeback' and so here I am. "It's amazing to win matches like this, it trains your fighting spirit for the next tournaments and I'm proud of myself for trying 'til the very last point." Sabalenka will next face Czech Marketa Vondrousova, who is aiming for her first final since winning Wimbledon in 2023. Vondrousova defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-1 in a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final. Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu advanced to the semi-finals after the injury-plagued eighth seed Paula Badosa retired due to a right hip problem during their quarter-final. Wang, the world No.49, was leading 6-1 when Badosa pulled out of the contest. The Spaniard, visibly frustrated, smashed her racquet and hurled it across the court following the post-match handshakes. The 23-year-old Wang has enjoyed a breakout week in the German capital, beating second seed Coco Gauff in the previous round. She will next face either American Amanda Anisimova or Russia's Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the final.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Zverev beats tummy bug, sets up Medvedev clash in Halle
Alexander Zverev's quest for a first grass-court title has taken an unexpected turn at the Halle Open when the German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before returning to defeat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6 (10-8). Second seed Zverev started Friday's quarter-final on the front foot by breaking in the first game but as he was serving in the second, he requested a toilet break to throw up and bolted off down the tunnel. Once he returned, Zverev struggled with the intensity at first and clearly looked unwell, bending over in exhaustion after points and gasping for breath after a marathon rally. "I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later, I felt OK again," Zverev said. "I don't know what it was, I've never experienced that before. I hope I'll be fine in the next couple of hours when the adrenaline settles. After that, I think it was a pretty good match." The semi-final will pit Zverev against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a familiar foe who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage over him and has won their last three meetings. "I think he's the guy that I played the most in my career. I'm looking forward to it," Zverev added. "A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He's one of my toughest opponents in my career. It's going to be a great match and I'm really looking forward to facing him." Medvedev moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set which forced the 2021 Halle runner-up to take a medical timeout. However, the Russian served well to deny his opponent a single break point opportunity and wrapped up the contest in 85 minutes as he reached the last four without dropping a set. The other semi-final will feature 2023 champion Alexander Bublik, who knocked out last year's winner Jannik Sinner in the previous round, taking on eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 6-2. Bublik fired 37 winners in his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory over Tomas Machac. Alexander Zverev's quest for a first grass-court title has taken an unexpected turn at the Halle Open when the German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before returning to defeat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6 (10-8). Second seed Zverev started Friday's quarter-final on the front foot by breaking in the first game but as he was serving in the second, he requested a toilet break to throw up and bolted off down the tunnel. Once he returned, Zverev struggled with the intensity at first and clearly looked unwell, bending over in exhaustion after points and gasping for breath after a marathon rally. "I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later, I felt OK again," Zverev said. "I don't know what it was, I've never experienced that before. I hope I'll be fine in the next couple of hours when the adrenaline settles. After that, I think it was a pretty good match." The semi-final will pit Zverev against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a familiar foe who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage over him and has won their last three meetings. "I think he's the guy that I played the most in my career. I'm looking forward to it," Zverev added. "A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He's one of my toughest opponents in my career. It's going to be a great match and I'm really looking forward to facing him." Medvedev moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set which forced the 2021 Halle runner-up to take a medical timeout. However, the Russian served well to deny his opponent a single break point opportunity and wrapped up the contest in 85 minutes as he reached the last four without dropping a set. The other semi-final will feature 2023 champion Alexander Bublik, who knocked out last year's winner Jannik Sinner in the previous round, taking on eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 6-2. Bublik fired 37 winners in his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory over Tomas Machac. Alexander Zverev's quest for a first grass-court title has taken an unexpected turn at the Halle Open when the German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before returning to defeat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6 (10-8). Second seed Zverev started Friday's quarter-final on the front foot by breaking in the first game but as he was serving in the second, he requested a toilet break to throw up and bolted off down the tunnel. Once he returned, Zverev struggled with the intensity at first and clearly looked unwell, bending over in exhaustion after points and gasping for breath after a marathon rally. "I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later, I felt OK again," Zverev said. "I don't know what it was, I've never experienced that before. I hope I'll be fine in the next couple of hours when the adrenaline settles. After that, I think it was a pretty good match." The semi-final will pit Zverev against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a familiar foe who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage over him and has won their last three meetings. "I think he's the guy that I played the most in my career. I'm looking forward to it," Zverev added. "A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He's one of my toughest opponents in my career. It's going to be a great match and I'm really looking forward to facing him." Medvedev moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set which forced the 2021 Halle runner-up to take a medical timeout. However, the Russian served well to deny his opponent a single break point opportunity and wrapped up the contest in 85 minutes as he reached the last four without dropping a set. The other semi-final will feature 2023 champion Alexander Bublik, who knocked out last year's winner Jannik Sinner in the previous round, taking on eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 6-2. Bublik fired 37 winners in his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory over Tomas Machac. Alexander Zverev's quest for a first grass-court title has taken an unexpected turn at the Halle Open when the German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before returning to defeat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6 (10-8). Second seed Zverev started Friday's quarter-final on the front foot by breaking in the first game but as he was serving in the second, he requested a toilet break to throw up and bolted off down the tunnel. Once he returned, Zverev struggled with the intensity at first and clearly looked unwell, bending over in exhaustion after points and gasping for breath after a marathon rally. "I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later, I felt OK again," Zverev said. "I don't know what it was, I've never experienced that before. I hope I'll be fine in the next couple of hours when the adrenaline settles. After that, I think it was a pretty good match." The semi-final will pit Zverev against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a familiar foe who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage over him and has won their last three meetings. "I think he's the guy that I played the most in my career. I'm looking forward to it," Zverev added. "A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He's one of my toughest opponents in my career. It's going to be a great match and I'm really looking forward to facing him." Medvedev moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set which forced the 2021 Halle runner-up to take a medical timeout. However, the Russian served well to deny his opponent a single break point opportunity and wrapped up the contest in 85 minutes as he reached the last four without dropping a set. The other semi-final will feature 2023 champion Alexander Bublik, who knocked out last year's winner Jannik Sinner in the previous round, taking on eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 6-2. Bublik fired 37 winners in his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory over Tomas Machac.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
16 straight wins: Alcaraz powers on at Queen's Club
Carlos Alcaraz has overcome another tricky obstacle at the Queen's Club Championship as the top-seeded Spaniard dispatched France's Arthur Rinderknech with little fuss 7-5 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. Wimbledon champion Alcaraz toiled for three hours in stifling heat on Thursday to edge past fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in a titanic scrap and afterwards admitted he did not know how he was still standing. It was far more straightforward against unseeded Rinderknech, the player he also beat in his opening match two years ago when he went on to win the title at the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up event in west London. The 22-year-old converted each of his two break points on another sweltering Friday as he extended his sequence of match wins to a career-long 16. "I could be better. Honestly I was thinking I was going to feel much worse than I did today," five-time grand slam champion Alcaraz said on court. "I'm glad it was only one hour 20 minutes today." Britain's Jack Draper also continued his Wimbledon build-up successfully as he reached the semi-finals at Queen's for the first time with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 defeat of American Brandon Nakashima. Draper not only kept himself on track for the prestigious ATP 500 title, but also secured the win that guarantees a top-four seeding at Wimbledon where he will be the big home hope. The 23-year-old was fully tested by world No.32 Nakashima and his powerful game began to misfire as he lost the second set on the Andy Murray Arena. But Draper settled back into the groove in the deciding set and broke serve in the seventh game with one of his trademark forehand pile drivers. The left-hander had to save a break point when serving for the match at 5-4 but recovered to seal victory and set up a clash with Czech Jiri Lehecka, the conqueror of Alex de Minaur who had earlier on Friday beaten Britain's Jacob Fearnley 7-5 6-2. "It means the world to me to reach the semi-finals here," said Draper, bidding to become the first British player to win the title at the prestigious west London club since Murray won for a record fifth time in 2016. "I think there's going to be an even bigger buzz at the weekend and that will give me more energy to keep progressing." While being ranked fourth means Draper will avoid either defending champion Alcaraz or world No.1 Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Draper shrugged off its significance. "I kept getting asked about that by the journalists but I've got to reach the semi-finals first," he said. Alcaraz will face either fourth seed Holger Rune or Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final. Carlos Alcaraz has overcome another tricky obstacle at the Queen's Club Championship as the top-seeded Spaniard dispatched France's Arthur Rinderknech with little fuss 7-5 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. Wimbledon champion Alcaraz toiled for three hours in stifling heat on Thursday to edge past fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in a titanic scrap and afterwards admitted he did not know how he was still standing. It was far more straightforward against unseeded Rinderknech, the player he also beat in his opening match two years ago when he went on to win the title at the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up event in west London. The 22-year-old converted each of his two break points on another sweltering Friday as he extended his sequence of match wins to a career-long 16. "I could be better. Honestly I was thinking I was going to feel much worse than I did today," five-time grand slam champion Alcaraz said on court. "I'm glad it was only one hour 20 minutes today." Britain's Jack Draper also continued his Wimbledon build-up successfully as he reached the semi-finals at Queen's for the first time with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 defeat of American Brandon Nakashima. Draper not only kept himself on track for the prestigious ATP 500 title, but also secured the win that guarantees a top-four seeding at Wimbledon where he will be the big home hope. The 23-year-old was fully tested by world No.32 Nakashima and his powerful game began to misfire as he lost the second set on the Andy Murray Arena. But Draper settled back into the groove in the deciding set and broke serve in the seventh game with one of his trademark forehand pile drivers. The left-hander had to save a break point when serving for the match at 5-4 but recovered to seal victory and set up a clash with Czech Jiri Lehecka, the conqueror of Alex de Minaur who had earlier on Friday beaten Britain's Jacob Fearnley 7-5 6-2. "It means the world to me to reach the semi-finals here," said Draper, bidding to become the first British player to win the title at the prestigious west London club since Murray won for a record fifth time in 2016. "I think there's going to be an even bigger buzz at the weekend and that will give me more energy to keep progressing." While being ranked fourth means Draper will avoid either defending champion Alcaraz or world No.1 Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Draper shrugged off its significance. "I kept getting asked about that by the journalists but I've got to reach the semi-finals first," he said. Alcaraz will face either fourth seed Holger Rune or Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final. Carlos Alcaraz has overcome another tricky obstacle at the Queen's Club Championship as the top-seeded Spaniard dispatched France's Arthur Rinderknech with little fuss 7-5 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. Wimbledon champion Alcaraz toiled for three hours in stifling heat on Thursday to edge past fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in a titanic scrap and afterwards admitted he did not know how he was still standing. It was far more straightforward against unseeded Rinderknech, the player he also beat in his opening match two years ago when he went on to win the title at the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up event in west London. The 22-year-old converted each of his two break points on another sweltering Friday as he extended his sequence of match wins to a career-long 16. "I could be better. Honestly I was thinking I was going to feel much worse than I did today," five-time grand slam champion Alcaraz said on court. "I'm glad it was only one hour 20 minutes today." Britain's Jack Draper also continued his Wimbledon build-up successfully as he reached the semi-finals at Queen's for the first time with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 defeat of American Brandon Nakashima. Draper not only kept himself on track for the prestigious ATP 500 title, but also secured the win that guarantees a top-four seeding at Wimbledon where he will be the big home hope. The 23-year-old was fully tested by world No.32 Nakashima and his powerful game began to misfire as he lost the second set on the Andy Murray Arena. But Draper settled back into the groove in the deciding set and broke serve in the seventh game with one of his trademark forehand pile drivers. The left-hander had to save a break point when serving for the match at 5-4 but recovered to seal victory and set up a clash with Czech Jiri Lehecka, the conqueror of Alex de Minaur who had earlier on Friday beaten Britain's Jacob Fearnley 7-5 6-2. "It means the world to me to reach the semi-finals here," said Draper, bidding to become the first British player to win the title at the prestigious west London club since Murray won for a record fifth time in 2016. "I think there's going to be an even bigger buzz at the weekend and that will give me more energy to keep progressing." While being ranked fourth means Draper will avoid either defending champion Alcaraz or world No.1 Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Draper shrugged off its significance. "I kept getting asked about that by the journalists but I've got to reach the semi-finals first," he said. Alcaraz will face either fourth seed Holger Rune or Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final. Carlos Alcaraz has overcome another tricky obstacle at the Queen's Club Championship as the top-seeded Spaniard dispatched France's Arthur Rinderknech with little fuss 7-5 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. Wimbledon champion Alcaraz toiled for three hours in stifling heat on Thursday to edge past fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in a titanic scrap and afterwards admitted he did not know how he was still standing. It was far more straightforward against unseeded Rinderknech, the player he also beat in his opening match two years ago when he went on to win the title at the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up event in west London. The 22-year-old converted each of his two break points on another sweltering Friday as he extended his sequence of match wins to a career-long 16. "I could be better. Honestly I was thinking I was going to feel much worse than I did today," five-time grand slam champion Alcaraz said on court. "I'm glad it was only one hour 20 minutes today." Britain's Jack Draper also continued his Wimbledon build-up successfully as he reached the semi-finals at Queen's for the first time with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 defeat of American Brandon Nakashima. Draper not only kept himself on track for the prestigious ATP 500 title, but also secured the win that guarantees a top-four seeding at Wimbledon where he will be the big home hope. The 23-year-old was fully tested by world No.32 Nakashima and his powerful game began to misfire as he lost the second set on the Andy Murray Arena. But Draper settled back into the groove in the deciding set and broke serve in the seventh game with one of his trademark forehand pile drivers. The left-hander had to save a break point when serving for the match at 5-4 but recovered to seal victory and set up a clash with Czech Jiri Lehecka, the conqueror of Alex de Minaur who had earlier on Friday beaten Britain's Jacob Fearnley 7-5 6-2. "It means the world to me to reach the semi-finals here," said Draper, bidding to become the first British player to win the title at the prestigious west London club since Murray won for a record fifth time in 2016. "I think there's going to be an even bigger buzz at the weekend and that will give me more energy to keep progressing." While being ranked fourth means Draper will avoid either defending champion Alcaraz or world No.1 Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Draper shrugged off its significance. "I kept getting asked about that by the journalists but I've got to reach the semi-finals first," he said. Alcaraz will face either fourth seed Holger Rune or Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final.
